Saving the Spirits
by Red5T65
Summary: When the Underworld starts losing population, Hades gets pissed. And when Hades is pissed, things always end up going to hell (literally, in this case) It's up to the heroes of the universe to get together and take him down! Rated T for language and possible gore.
1. Hades Builds An Army

**A/N: What with all the recent Spirits Mode hype for Smash Ultimate, this is me throwing my proverbial hat into the ring with my idea of how the story will go. I'm not super knowledgeable about a few franchises, but with this many characters, who would be? Disclaimer: Obviously no DLC, but I won't really include third-party characters either, aside from those from, say, Megaman, or Sonic. So no Bayonetta, Street Fighter, or anything like that. Disclaimer 2: I don't own any of these characters. They belong to their respective owners, those being (mostly) Nintendo, as well as Capcom and Sega.**

* * *

Pit was on patrol around Skyworld, doing the usual routine, not having a care in the world. He was mainly musing about his invitation to the next Smash Tourney, which was coming up. His absent-minded thought processes were suddenly interrupted by the voice of Palutena blasting in his ears. "WOAH! Lady Palutena, what's wrong!?" "WHAT'S WRONG!? HADES IS OUT OF THE UNDERWORLD!" Pit froze. "How!?" "I DON'T KNOW, BUT DO SOMETHING!" "OK, OK, I'll get there as quick as I can." With that, he sped off, and Palutena relayed him directions as to where Hades appeared to be. He sincerely hoped that Hades was _not_ actually out of the Underworld, and this was just a training exercise meant to keep him on his toes.

Unfortunately for Pit, it turned out Hades _was_ there, and he was _pissed._ "Alright, Hades! Time to take you out!" Hades turned to face him. "Ah, Pit! I was wondering when you'd show up. I've been meaning to inquire something." Pit stared at him, quizzical. "Does it have to do with taking over the world?" Hades replied, "No." Pit nodded. "Alright, good-wait, what? You're _not_ trying to conquer us all?" Hades was a bit dumbfounded. "Where did you get _that_ idea?" Pit glared at him, as if to say, _really?_ "The last two times you tried. Where else?" Hades stroked his chin. "Ah. Yes. That makes sense." Pit then moved on, asking, "If you're not here to take over, why _are_ you here?" "The Underworld is getting depopulated." "Isn't that impossible? I'm pretty sure that that's definitely impossible. Where else do you get all your minions?" "I am absolutely serious. I do a census every so often, just to ensure that souls aren't trying to escape, and recently, the number has been steadily dropping. Which begs the question, why?" "Well, I don't know. You want me to get Lady Palutena for you?" "Yes, that would be perfect. Then I can discuss this with an equal." And so Pit did, and, after some explanation, Palutena soon appeared before Hades, and they began to discuss. She made sure to keep Pit close by, but not _too_ close.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the Mushforce Planet…

Peach was holding the triennial council of the various powers of the Mushroom Worlds, from her own Mushroom Kingdom, to the Beanbean Kingdom, to the Yoshi clans of the eponymous island. Daisy was there, of course, and Rosalina made a point to always have a presence at these council meetings, even if it wasn't physical. The lands of Hyrule, though known about for ages, usually stayed on their hemisphere, and those in the Mushroom hemisphere tended to avoid going there, as it was said the Triforce caused strange temporal distortions. While this had yet to be proven, Mario and Rosalina, who had _lived_ through this sort of thing, explained they were totally possible. And everybody trusts Mario, because why wouldn't you? Of those on the Mushroom side of the Mushforce Planet, as opposed to the Triforce side, only one country was missing: the Koopa Kingdom, and the reasons as to why that is should be obvious. In this meeting specifically, they were deciding on what to do about the recent resurgence in King K. Rool's attacks, as they were getting rather fierce, and, as well, they were being directed at targets besides those in the Kong Archipelago. Prince Peasley suggested they attempt to cut off the crocodilian from his allies, which everyone agreed was a sound plan. After all, K. Rool had always preferred the ocean, but this gave him a weakness: His supplies could only ever last so long. But now they were deliberating on how to go about this plan. That was when it happened.

* * *

On the other side of the planet…

The Zelda of the two worlds was in her study, talking with Hilda, her counterpart in Lorule, when suddenly there was a bright flash. Before she could say anything, her surroundings shifted around her to match those at the age of the Hero of the Wild. When she got up, said hero, who at that point had been talking to the Zelda of his time, barraged her with questions. Then another flash, and suddenly Sheik, of the legendary era of the Hero of Time, appeared, and with a final flash, they all appeared in Zelda's time, where it just so happened that the Ganondorf from the era of the Hero of Time had appeared. Naturally, as all of them knew who he was, the three heroes pointed their weapons at Ganondorf, who assumed a position of surrender, saying, "I have just as much of an idea about what is going here as you three. So if you would kindly _not_ kill mel and mess up the timeline, then that would be perfect." The three lowered their weapons, and they began to make a plan as to how they would fix everything.

* * *

Meanwhile, on Planet Popstar…

Kirby was lounging around, without a care in the world, when out of nowhere, Pit, who had been sent down in an attempt to warn everyone about Hades coming to kill them all, slammed into him. "Ow…" he groaned, rubbing his head as he got up. Kirby ran over to him, and after poking him, attempted to inhale him. Obviously, Pit very much didn't like that, so he jumped out. "Hey! Dammit, don't do-" Then he realized who it was. "Hey Kirby! It's me, Pit! Remember me?" Kirby nodded, before shouting a cheerful "Poyo!" "Great! Well, this big scary god named Hades wants to kill everyone because the Underworld is emptying or something, and I need to recruit people. You up for it?" Kirby, of course, nodded, having had his share of world-ending beings to deal with. "Great! Mind bringing your friends? They'll be a good help." Kirby replied with another "Poyo!" and ran off. In no time, he had brought back Meta Knight and King Dedede, and Meta Knight soon recognized the angel. "What evil being are we beating today?" "Hades. Mind bringing the _Halberd_ with you? I think I know where he's going to attack first." Meta Knight replied, "The firepower wouldn't hurt. Bring the _Halberd!_ " Soon, the massive ship loomed, and they boarded, but as they did so, Bandana Dee, not one to be left out, hopped on.

* * *

At the Hocotate Freight Co. HQ…

Olimar had gotten a new assignment with Alph and Louie, and the three had gotten a new ship: the SS Beluga. They had been sent to PNF-404 once more, though this time it was because the CEO planned on having a few Pikmin around to see how they functioned. Olimar partially resented the choice, but his boss promised to keep the Pikmin healthy. So he agreed. Besides, the job paid well. And you couldn't argue with that. Besides, he had heard from Samus that PNF-404 was a planet designation of the Chozo. Which planet was it? Earth, the origins of the Galactic Federation.

* * *

Onboard the Corneria…

Fox, Falco, Peppy, and Slippy had recently gotten a new assignment: Investigate reports of a system with a dangerous parasite all sources only knew as 'X.' All four were uneasy about the mission, as both Fox and Falco had heard from Samus during a Smash Tourney about what X did, and it was dangerous. The planet in question was CZ-820, a jump away from SR-388. From their allies in the Galactic Federation, the Lylat system authorities had heard that Samus had decided to ensure some survived the destruction of the planet besides herself, but that turned out to be a bad decision, as the specimens she released had been infected with X, and CZ-820 was a rather large population center. And so, as the Corneria arrived in system, Samus's gunship could be seen approaching from a separate vector. "Well, guess this is it. We've gotta stop that thing before it takes the whole planet over. Star Fox, prepare to launch!"

* * *

Meanwhile, on the Shroob world…

The Shroob princesses had long considered a second invasion of the Mushroom planet to be in order. But they hadn't the resources to attempt such a thing, not after the first. That is, until Hades approached them with an offer: "If you let me help you conquer that planet, you can keep it as your own. All you have to do is occasionally sacrifice a few of your own to me. Does that sound good to you?" The two princesses nodded, and Hades elaborated. The younger princess cackled. It was time for revenge. The god of the underworld had visited them. It was almost certainly fate. With that, they prepared the invasion force, and chanting for the Mario Bros' obliteration from the universe. A fitting punishment, they thought.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the Pokebound world…

Ness had just gotten out of bed that morning when he felt a strange psychic energy. _Feels familiar,_ he thought to himself. That was when it clicked: Giygas had been resurrected! "Oh no… that's not good…" With that, he went out to grab his friends so they could come with him and stop Giygas again, and one of those friends was Red, who he had met at one of the Smash Tourneys. After he had sorted that out, he called Lucas to get him on the same page, and they all prepared to group up in Onett.

* * *

Back on the Mushforce planet…

The residents of the Mushroom hemisphere were still reeling, though after noticing nothing strange had happened, most went on their way as normal. This included the Mario Bros, who were in the middle of a plumbing job in New Donk City not far from their original apartment when they still lived there. But as they were doing so, Peach called Mario. "Princess? What's-a wrong?" "Nothing yet, but Rosalina just said a strange ship appeared in orbit. She's not sure what it-Wait, it's the _Halberd!_ " Hearing this, the brothers became very confused. "Have they-a said why they're-a here?" "Pit's onboard! That can't be too good." Mario groaned. "It never-a is, is it…" Luigi, meanwhile, kept working, though he was listening. Mario decided to put on the news, and sure enough, the green Toad reporter began, "BREAKING NEWS! The _Halberd_ , famed ship of the Star Warrior Meta Knight, is in orbit above our planet. Sources claim to have seen Pit, the Captain of Palutena's army aboard, though this has yet to be proven. The Koopa Cruiser is also up in orbit, though it appears to be returning to the Koopa Kingdom. More on this coming-" there was a sudden pause, and the reporter began once more: "It would seem the Shroobs have returned again! They seem dead set on conquering us once and for all! We can also confirm, from eyewitnesses aboard Rosalina's Comet Observatory, that Pit is aboard the _Halberd_ , and the Koopa Cruiser is being outfitted with a weapon to stall the Shroob forces. More on this massive chain of events at 10. This is Toadley Stoolson, reporting for Mushroom Kingdom News Network. Mushroom Kingdom News Network: Your premiere source for all things on the Mushroom Kingdom." By this point, Peach had ordered the Mario brothers to return to the castle, in case the Shroobs made it through to the ground. (The castle was in the very center of the Kingdom, making it a prime position to coordinate defenses) They immediately dropped what they were doing, hopped in their car, and drove as fast as they could to the castle, in an attempt to defend Peach.

* * *

On the other side of the planet…

After they had sorted out the timeline shenanigans, the 3 Triforce holders and Sheik prepared for the battle that Zelda, with her foresight, knew was coming. "Whatever you do, do not let Hyrule Castle fall. However, even more importantly, Lorule must be on our side at all times. Any hint of treachery, and we will _lose_. And it will be a bloodbath." With that, they formed a plan: Sheik would coordinate Hyrule's people and ensure they knew what was going to happen. Link would defend the castle and fight the main threat, while Ganondorf took command of the armies of Hyrule when they would inevitably have to fight. Zelda would ensure Hilda was prepared should the battle reach Lorule, and generally provide aid to Link.

* * *

Elsewhere…

After resurrecting the demon Giygas, Hades arrived at the Mushforce world, specifically, within Hyrule. Using his abilities, he traveled through the timestream and gathered up all the various foes that the heroes of legend had faced, are facing, or will face. These included: Vaati, Minish Wind Mage and Stealer of the Light Force, Veran, possessive witch, General Onox, the giant, mace-wielding brute, Bellum, scourge of the depths, and Malladus, the demon king. These 5 were brought together within the current time, and ordered to conquer all of this version of Hyrule, from which all the rest would fall (or so the plan was) This done, he warped away to the planet SN-883, more commonly known as the Space Pirate Homeworld.

* * *

On the surface…

Hades met with the leaders of the Space Pirates, and convinced them to attempt to use the X parasite in a beneficial matter, in this case, by altering it into a being that served a master of some sort. They all agreed it would be Mother Brain who would perform this task, though Ridley was chosen to lead the assault on CZ-820, with the primary objective being capture an organism infected with X and bring it back. _Simple enough_ , Ridley thought to himself as they finished. _Though wherever X goes, that accursed Hunter follows. No matter. I will destroy her! I swear it!_ And so he did, and so it was that the Space Pirates launched toward CZ-820, where the Star Fox team was already encountering resistance…

* * *

 **A/N: CLIFFHANGER! Mwahaha! So, this was mostly setup for all the major villains in this story: We've got Hades, all the not-Ganon Zelda bosses, the Shroobs, Space Pirates, X, Star Wolf, all of that. Hell, even Giygas is here! Now if you're wondering why there are so many Zelda bosses, here's why: Veran and Onox aren't really that bad. Malladus is weak, Vaati's just a wind mage at this point (no demon Vaati) and Bellum's a squid. They need water. But he will have a great time taking, say, Isle Delfino. (Hint hint) That's not everyone just yet, just all the major ones. People like Wily and Eggman are for later.**


	2. Pirates and Parasites and Lasers, Oh My!

**A/N: This one's going to be all about Samus and Star Fox teaming up to stop the Space Pirates from obtaining X! And also stopping it from infecting CZ-820's populous. So fun times! From a gameplay standpoint, this would mostly be you playing as Samus, for context. I don't own anything here, so don't sue.**

* * *

Orbiting above CZ-820…

Unbeknownst to the Star Fox team, they had jumped into a trap. Andross was back, and Star Wolf with them, which made things that much more difficult for them. "Why do these things keep happening to us…" Falco moaned as they fought it out in the vacuum. "Be glad you're not down there, Falco. We all know how much you-" "-prefer the air. Yeah, can I _not_ be in the Landmaster this time? That thing sucks balls… Give me an Arwing any day." With that, the banter continued, everyone being their usual self, Wolf inserting his own comments every now and again. "Oh, look, we got a loudmouth in here. Give you three guesses who it is and the first two don't count." "It's Falco!" the rest replied, and there was more groaning. That is until the Space Pirates dropped in. "We're here to kick ass, take names, and _not_ get infected, and we're all out of names to knock off our list! So hope you like ass-whoopings!" With that, Wolf, in an unprecedented move, ordered Star Wolf to break off, citing, "Only we get to take Star Fox down. So get the hell out or we will send you into that star over there." The comms pirate responded, "Ooh, we got a tough guy over here! You know what we do with those?" The response from the rest was, "WE CHEW THEM UP!" With that, the ship's guns started blasting in all directions, and Fox pulled the rest of the team in to take the ship down. There was no way they were letting the Space Pirates have _X_ , not on their watch. He also called Samus for good measure. "So, the Space Pirates are here." "Great. What else is new." "They want X." "Of course they do. Well we can't have that, now can we." "Taking them down as we speak." "I'll get ready just in case. They are resilient bastards. Half expecting one to-" *BOOM!* "-show up. And now they're landing! Just what I needed. Fun times all around. Alright, gonna hang up. Need to focus on _killing._ " With that, the screen blinked off, and Fox returned his attention to the giant ship shooting at things rather non-discriminately. "Alright, you all heard Samus! We've gotta stop these pirates from landing on the planet, stat! So move in!"

* * *

On the surface…

Samus had noticed there were significantly more people being sent at her than usual, and she pondered why as she vaporized them. _New recruits? Some other faction? Screw it, they're all pirates, they all need taking down._ But then she picked up a transmission on a frequency she'd only heard used a few times before. Well, frequency was the wrong term. More accurate would be synaptic link. She had obtained the ability to tap into such links from the Chozo, and her suit enhanced its power greatly. She focused on the link itself. Soon, a voice popped in: "Lady Palutena! I could use some info on these things!" _Pit!_

"Those are Shroobs. They are an alien race that invaded the Mushroom Kingdom when the Mario brothers were toddlers. They use life force draining technology to fuel their ships, and all of their weapons are energy based."

"So what should I do?"

"Use your better mobility against them. Shroobs apparently have poor aim, though if a shot is coming at you, use your Guardian Orbitars. But they will adapt if you use them too much."

"Dodge and block. Got it."

"Good luck out there, Pit."

The link severed then, and Samus was left with the question of, _Why now?_ That would soon answer itself, however, as just after Samus obliterated her 100th pirate, she saw a swarm of snakes approaching. Then a head. And finally, a body to rival herself without her suit on. "Who are _you_!?" She demanded as the mysterious woman turned towards her. "I am Medusa. Once co-ruler of Skyworld, I was banished to the Underworld. However, Hades has brought my return, and he said that I was to _obliterate_ you. Speaking of which…" she turned around, then let out a cry of, "RIDLEY! THAT DREADED HUNTER WANTS TO FACE YOU NOW!" Before Samus could react, Ridley swooped in, and the two massive demons started attacking with all of their might, with more minions swooping in to act as a distraction. "Alright, I suppose backup could be useful… But who to call…" Samus pondered for a short while, before realizing that she was well and truly on her own against Ridley and Medusa, who was an actual goddess. "Well, it's not like it could get much worse…" But she was so, so wrong.

As she started blasting away at Ridley, she used her synaptic link to contact Palutena, and sure enough, the goddess of light responded in turn. "Samus? What's going on?" "So, I'm currently fighting Ridley and this giant woman who calls herself Medusa. Do you know who she is?" "Yes. And based on your personality, I presume you are asking about weak points?" "Yes." "Well, what does she look like now?" "Really, really gorgeous, and also huge." "In that case, aim at her hair. Take down as many snakes as you can. Eventually, she will resort to her more demonic form, which has a large eyeball. I'm sure you can go from there." "Thanks. I'll try to contact you later!" "No problem! See you around, Samus!" With that, she used her various projectiles to target as many snakes as she could on Medusa's head, and sure enough, a missile hit its mark, clearing out a large swath of snakes. Unfortunately, this enraged Medusa, and the goddess proceeded to summon a massive horde of floating eyeballs at Samus, while simultaneously using her voice as a lethal weapon, by using shockwaves. Samus, however, had gotten used to such tactics, and was not thrown off, though it helped her a great deal, as Ridley's flight patterns were less unorthodox, making the giant purple dragon that much easier to hit. "Well, I should be done in no time, and then I can get back to stopping X from spreading."

By this point, Samus had cleared out all the snakes, and Medusa finally snapped. Her body disappeared, and in place of her face was a giant, glowing eyeball. Remembering Palutena's advice, she shot at it, but nothing got through. At first she was rather confused, but then everything made much more sense when out of nowhere, a massive beam shot from Medusa's eye! It proceeded to tear through her suit, and Ridley quickly seized the opportunity, swooping in a grabbing the now suitless Samus. He kept a tight grip on her, making absolutely sure she could not escape, then prepared to fall back to the ship. Meanwhile, Medusa reverted to her normal form, and debated on who to target next…

* * *

 **A/N: And that's the first stage done! Of course, in real life, if this was the first stage, that would** _ **really**_ **suck, since it forcibly kills you. I mean, who in their right mind would attempt to take two proper bosses** _ **at the same time**_ **!? It's madness! But you don't have a choice, and it shows.**


End file.
